Sinking
by Kaia-Rhea
Summary: Kyle is involved in a car crash that kills both his parents, and at just nine years old he is left orphaned. He is almost alone in the world, with only Stan to comfort him. He sinks further and further into depression. Rated K  for this reason.
1. Chapter 1

_I got the idea for this one from... Um... Well I don't really know. I hope it's okay. It's written from the POV of several characters, but probably mostly through Kyle.  
It's basically about the pain and turmoil someone can go through when the lose a loved one.  
I'd appreciate a review, if you have time.  
But review or not, thanks for reading!_****

Chapter one  
_Kyle_  
We were on our way to the store when it happened. Mom didn't trust me and Ike on our own any more since, the last time she had there an... interesting incident occurred involving a can of paint and the septic tank. It's wasn't even my idea!  
"What did you do at school today, Kyle?" I was busy telling mom about the A+ I got on a maths test when a truck suddenly pulled out from behind and tried to overtake us on a busy freeway. Dad swore, something I had rarely heard him do before, and sped up, so the vehicle was forced to back into place behind us.  
"Asshole" gurgled Ike. I giggled, but luckily for him mom hadn't heard him swear.  
Everything seemed fine for a couple of minutes, but the truck driver was obviously in a hurry. He once again pulled out beside us. This time there was a car on the other side of the road that the other driver hadn't accounted for. He swerved into us, pushing us over and off the road. Dad fought to keep control of the car, but couldn't. It span, and rolled, once, twice, three times...  
I could faintly hear Ike crying, _screaming, _before everything faded into black. 

"Kyle? Kyle!" the voice was frantic. What had happened? My head felt as heavy as a lead weight, and it was pounding. My arm hurt, my ribs hurt. Everything hurt.  
"Kyle! Wake up, please!" _That's mom!_ I opened my eyes groggily. I could barely see mom, the roof of the car was so dented in. She looked pale and sick. I could only see dad's arm, mangled; but beside me, Ike seemed untouched. Looked untouched. Panic suddenly rose up inside my stomach like flames take to gasoline.  
"Mom? Mom! Jesus Christ, what's happening?" she reached out weakly, trying to touch me, but she couldn't reach.  
"Kyle, listen to me." I was barely listening for trying to squirm from my seat. "Kyle, listen!" her tone of voice made me jump. She had never screamed at me like that before. I stared at her, shaking in fear.  
"Kyle, I need to you do something. I need you to take your brother and get out of the car. Don't worry about your father and me, just make sure you're both safe. Can you do that for me?" I nodded, to scared to speak.  
"But... But how are you gonna get out?" Mom said nothing, and the sudden realisation hit me with the force of a brick. They weren't getting out. Seeing my hesitation, mom made one final effort, forcing her broken body to reach forward. She took my hand.  
"Go, bubbah. Take care of your brother. Go, I love you." I nodded, tears trickling down my face. I pulled my silent, unconscious brother from his car seat, crying out in pain as the pressure on my broken arm caused a searing pain to shoot up my bone, but I managed to lug my baby brother out of the car anyway. I staggered away from the wreckage. It was badly smashed; the glass had shattered from the frame, and the sides were all dented.  
'Dad's gonna be so pissed when he wakes up' was the last thought I had before I collapsed on the roadside.

***

"Can you open your eyes for me darlin'?" bright lights filled my vision field as I lifted my heavy eyelids, the sudden change of light levels making me squint. I wasn't in pain anymore. For a moment I believed I was dead, and the bright white light was heaven. A Nurse was standing over me, a false smile plastered over her face.  
"Hey sweetie" she rested a gentle hand on my uninjured arm. "You're in Hell's Pass Hospital. Do you remember what happened?" I blinked a few times, confused, before the harsh cold reality hit me. Hard.  
"Ike!" I gasped. "Where's Ike? I promised I'd take care of him!" I tried to sit down, but she gently pushed me back on the bed.  
"Careful! You'll pop your stitches" she chided. "Your brother's okay. They're taking care of him in another ward okay?" I nodded, slowly.  
"Wait, what stitches?" I asked. She carefully lifted my gown, and showed me the bandaged up wounds that the crash had caused. For a moment I just stared at them. Then a wide smile split over my face.  
"Cool!" she laughed.  
"Well, I suppose that's one way to look at it. My name's Nurse Jackson by the way. But you can call me Hope."  
'Hope. What a good name for a nurse' I had thought. She had the same colour hair as mom and me, except she wore it in a long ponytail. _Mom._  
"Hope, where are my parents?" her expression fell, and she sat down on the side of my bed, taking my hand in hers. I looked up at her, expecting her to tell me that they'd come and see me soon. She didn't.  
"Kyle, sweetie... Your parents both passed away from the car crash." I didn't cry. I didn't want to cry. I felt numb, as if part of me was missing. Part of me _was _missing.  
"No." I was adamant. "You're wrong. You have to be wrong!" Nurse Jackson gave me a sympathetic smile. She asked if I needed anything. _Silence._

***

_Stan_  
I wanted to go to the hospital as soon as I'd found out, but mom said I had to wait for a couple of days. She said Kyle would be really upset that his parents had died, and he'd need space.  
But after a couple of days of constant moaning, she finally took me to Hell's Pass. Room 187. I took my hat off, fiddling with it. I didn't know how nervous I'd be until I was there.  
He was pale, so very pale. His red hair fell in curls about his shoulders, dramatically contrasting with his ghostly form. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was bruised around his jaw. His arm was in a cast. I stared at him, he stared at me. I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there like a total idiot until mom urged me forward.  
"Uh... Hi Kyle" I mumbled. The corners of his mouth lifted in an attempt to smile, then turned away. I sat in the bedside chair and grasped his hand, while mom stepped out to talk to the Nurse. Neither of us said anything. We didn't have to.

***

_Kyle  
_Nurse Jackson told me that I was going to stay with Stan when they let me go. I didn't say anything, and she sighed unhappily. I hadn't spoken to anyone other than my baby brother for almost week, the week after the accident, the week after I had found out. I still hadn't cried. I still didn't want to. I remember wondering if Ike was coming with us. He was in a bed next to mine, unaware of what had happened. They just told him that they were sleeping. He's a genius, but he's also ignorant. I envied him.  
We were both sleeping on the morning we were both to be discharged, and were awoken by someone coming into our room. A woman with dark, carefully shaped eyebrows. She shook us both awake.  
"Kyle? Say goodbye to your brother, Kyle." she told me. I was confused.  
"Say goodbye? Why, where's he going?" the woman's grey eyes widened slightly.  
"They didn't tell you? Social services is taking Ike to a new home for a while. _What?  
_"But Ike has a home, he doesn't need a new..." I realised what was happening, and I did _not _like it.  
"No! I won't let you!" I stumbled out of bed over to Ike, who hid behind me. The woman was obviously exasperated; she checked her watch and muttered something about not having time for this.  
Hope hurried in at that moment.  
"Kyle honey, I think we need to have a little talk" I glared at her, furious that they would have the nerve to do this to me.  
"NO! I already know! How could you let them do this to me?" she took a couple of steps towards me, her hands outstretched. She was trying to calm me down.  
"Now Kyle, it's going to-" I cut her off mid-sentence.  
"You didn't tell me! How could you keep this from me?" Ike was digging his fingernails into my side, and he screamed when the woman from social services reached round to scoop him up. We clung to each other.  
"Kyyyle!" he screeched. Hope put an arm around my waist, trying to pull me back, but I wriggled out of her grasp.  
"Ike!" No! Please don't take him away from me! He's my only family!" the woman started to walk out of the room, and I ran after her, sobbing.  
"NO! PLEASE!"  
"KYLE!"  
"IKE!" all of a sudden there were three pairs of arms around me at once. One was Hope's, the second a doctor's, and the third... Was Mrs. Marsh. I hadn't even notice them arrive. By the time I pulled away it was too late. They'd gone.  
"Ike..." I whispered, before crumpling into her open arms.  
"He's my only family..." I sobbed. She stroked my hair.  
"I know baby, I know..."

_That wasn't too shitty right? I hope not. I worked hard on it!  
I'd really appreciate a review if you have time. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Firstly, thank you to 'TheyKilledKenny8' and 'Meghan486' for the review. It means so much to me! I'd also like to apologise for the many typos and grammatical errors in the first chapter. I was tired when I wrote it.  
Thanks for reading, and I'll send you a pretend cookie in the pretend mail if you review :)_

Stan  
It had been two days since we brought Kyle home to stay with us. He looked terrible, with bags under his eyes and the bruises on his skin made him look as if he'd been mugged. We had yet to convince him to eat something, and the lack of sugar was making his diabetes flare up. Mum was really worried. Every mealtime she would sit on the bed next to my friend, trying to persuade him to come and eat something. She told him he'd make himself ill, that we'd have to take him back to hospital. No effect whatsoever.  
Of course I was scared for him as well. I knew that his kidneys could shut down again, like they had once before. I knew he was hurting badly. He'd lost his whole family in the space of a week, and had to adjust to a totally new life, alien to him. Sure, he'd stayed round before, but only for a day or two.  
I came upstairs to my room after lunch that day to find the space where I could usually find him curled up like in a ball empty. Instead I found him in the bathroom, throwing up over the toilet bowl. I sat down beside him, brushing the red curls out of his sweaty face.  
"Shall I get mom?" I asked, before cringing- mom had said to try and not use the 'm-word' in front of him much. He shook his head, retching again. He had nothing in his stomach at all by that time, so he sat back on his heels. I patted him awkwardly, and he leaned into me, closing his eyes and shutting out the world.

_Kyle  
_I knew I should eat something. I knew I was going to put myself into hypoglycaemic shock. I was cold and clammy. Oh, I knew the signs well enough. I also knew I could give myself a seizure if I refused food for much longer.  
The truth? I didn't care. I had no parents, and my brother had been taken to a foster home. Of course I didn't care. I'd had enough.

_Stan  
_Mom came into our room one afternoon, something grasped in her hands. I recognised it as Kyle's glucose level monitor. She stood over him, not saying a word. He was curled up on the extra bed we'd put in my room for him, facing away from us. She sat next to him, and tapped him gently on the leg. He didn't look up.  
"Kyle?" still nothing. Mom reached over and placed a hand on his forehead. I watched her, suddenly more worried than before.  
"Kyle." Mom's voice was firmer now. "You really, really need to test your blood sugar." she placed an arm around his lithe frame and helped him to sit up. She passed him the monitor. Saying nothing, he tried to open the case with shaky fingers. Mom had to do it for him in the end. She cleaned his finger with an alcohol wipe, placed the strip tester into the meter and placed the needle against his finger. I realised she must have read up on it online or something. I winced as the needle clicked, piercing his skin, but Kyle himself didn't bat an eyelid.  
We waited for the reading in uncomfortable silence. It was only supposed to take about ten seconds, but as far as I was concerned it was more like ten minutes. I knew it was going to be low. I'd read up on it online after I'd nearly lost him, after he had needed the transplant.  
I hadn't expected it to be _that _low.  
"C'mon honey, let's go get you something to eat." Mom put an arm around him.  
As far as I'd known, Kyle hadn't cried since they took Ike away.  
Even at his parent's funeral he'd kept a stony expression on his face throughout the whole affair.  
But now, in the comfort of mom's arms, he burst into tears, and buried himself into her embrace.

_Kyle  
_It hit me. Right then, it hit me. My mom wasn't coming back, not even if I starved myself. I thought that maybe she'd come to see me in my sleep, to tell me to stop being so stupid and to eat something, but she didn't.  
She didn't.  
_She didn't._

Okay, sorry for the short chapter :( I was trying to make it a bit longer than I usually do, but I suck at doing short chapters. In fact, I just suck. Oh well.  
Drop me a review? I'd appreciate it. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

_This next one's just a short one... Something bad's happened at home and I don't have the time to update my stories at the moment.  
Thanks for reading._

Kyle  
Dear God,  
If I did something wrong, I'm really sorry. I know I'm nowhere near perfect, but I'll try so much harder from now on! I won't swear, I'll always do as I'm told and I'll never sin again! I'll never tell a lie, I'll never be greedy, I'll never steal and I'll always brush my teeth, I promise!  
Please God, give me my family back. I love them; I miss them  
Please.  
Amen.

Stan  
Six weeks after the accident, and Kyle looks a bit better. The cast has come off his arm, the bruises have faded... But he still looks as gaunt and ghostly as the day I'd first seen him in the hospital.  
He cries more now. At night, mostly, when he thinks I'm asleep. I'd comfort him, but I'm scared to say something wrong.  
Mom makes sure his blood sugar levels stay normal, and for the most part, Kyle complies. He'll eat a quarter, perhaps a third of what mom puts in front of him.  
He hides away in our room the rest of the time.

_Kyle  
Dear God,  
Why won't you help me? I've been good, you know I have! I stand in front of the mirror every day, telling myself how ugly I am. I pray to you for forgiveness. **Please, give me my life back! **I miss how everything used to be, when mom would go all control-freak on me and dad would agree with her just to save himself an argument! I hate this! Please!_


	4. Author's Note

_Hi, and sorry for the delay.  
Something bad's happened at home... And right now, I don't have the time to update my stories. So sorry about that. I'll start writing again as soon as I can, but until then... Yeah._

Malakai


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone.

I know you expected this to be a long chapter with many apologies and half-hearted excuses but it isn't. There's nothing fake about this.

Kaia A'ala Rhea Lombardi passed away on Friday the 22nd July at 3:22 am with her son and brother in her arms. I know she promised to try and finish these but she never did, and there were no documents on her computer

I hope you see this as Kaia's goodbye and also just an informative, but Kaia didn't really leave us with instructions with what to do when she left, we knew it was coming but we never asked her what to do with her fics. It crossed my mind that we should continue them but only briefly, it would be an insult to her talent.

Well, here it is then. The last chapter of any of Kaia's stories ever, unless her laptop harbours some documents, but she spent her last weeks in palliative care, saying goodbye to her friends and declining treatment

She was an inspiration and a perfect friend to everyone who ever met her, she always had a bright outlook, whether it was her brother and his goldfish obsession or telling us that one of her doctor's was really hot.

This is Erin and Ely, signing off for Kaia for one last time.

We won't deactivate this account, but there will be no more updates. All reviews and alerts go to Ely now and we'll appreciate every message of comfort we may receive because knowing Kaia and then losing her hurts more than it's imaginable

Good luck with your own writing, and… goodbye.

Ely and Erin


End file.
